Breaking Equivilance - rewrites in progress
by Alurax
Summary: LET THE RE-FREDDING BEGIN! I've decided to prove those smart wizard people wrong by mixing magic with certain concepts of alchemy, in order to return the life of someone who has far to much life to possibly ever die. curious yet? then read
1. Prologue

"Why do you always insist on taking on the young ones?" Came a deep matured voice.

"Cause no one else will." A young Girl responded. "The younger ones have more risk, so no one wants to deal with it."

"You're right. There is more risk. Not just for them, but you as well. You crumbled when that Diggory kid died almost as soon as he woke up. And you have one now that's even younger than him."

"I can handle it." She snapped. "I agree Collin Creevey may not make it, but he wanted to try, so someone has to take him."

"It's not just that boy." He glanced over towards the other bed. "I've never known anyone under 25 to make it successfully. You could at least take on one of the older assignments to maybe save one of them."

She shook her head. "They're taken care of. Besides, I'm not afraid of losing both of them." She stepped closer to the bed. "I'll help where I can, but I doubt Collin will make it. This one, however." She stopped and smiled. "I knew him breifly when he was alive. He's strong. Not to mention stubborn. I believe he'll pull through."

The man scoffed, heading out the door. "Suit yourself. But knowing him when he was alive will just make it harder when you lose him."

The girl stayed behind and sighed deeply. "You'll prove him wrong. I know you will, Fred. You're good at that."

--

_AN: i want to fix the wrongs created by Rowling_


	2. Chapter 1

Fred started to moan in his sleep, slowly wanting to wake up. He managed to wrench his eyes open, only to find the bright lights hurt them to do so. In fact, his whole body seemed to feel like one big bruise. His chest ached with each breath. His lungs felt dry, almost like he was inhaling dust. A lot of dust.

"Fred?" He heard a soft voice, soon joined by a cool hand on his forehead. He didn't realize how hot he felt, until the foreign cold skin made his body shiver. "Can you hear me Fred?"

"Whe-" Fred tried to ask where he was, but his voice didn't work. He felt a sharp cut in his throat at the slightest strain of speech.

"It's ok. I don't expect you to be able to speak yet." The hand left him, and soon he could see the lights dim past his eyelids. "You're fever spiked when you regained conciousness."

Fred managed to open his eyes more, ignoring the dry sting from doing so. Even with them open, nothing seemed to come into focus. The blurred surroundings caused his head to throb viciously. Fred moaned, closing his eyes again, and dropped a hand to his head. Just that small movemen felt tiring. What was wrong with him?

A weight settled down on the bed next to him. Her cold skin took his hand, and pulled it off his head. "You're still recovering, Fred. Don't strain yourself." Her voice sounded slightly paniced, though she hid it well.

Fred forced his eyes open to look at her. Unfortunately all he could make out was a dim outline, and that she maybe had dark hair. He took a slow deep breath and whimpered, "Who?"

He could almost hear her smile. "My name's Jurnacia Moon. I'm gonna look after you for a while." Her fingers traced through his hair. "Now, you should really get back to sleep. You have to regain your strength."

"bu-"

She shushed him. "Don't talk. I'll explain everything to you later." The blurr reached for something next to his head. "For now, take this." Fred felt what seemed like a cup pressed against his lips. Without really thinking, he drunk the warm potion inside. "It'll help you not feel so bad when you wake up again."

Almost immediately Fred fell back asleep, still pondering the possibilities of where he could be.

xXx

The next time Fred woke up, he could open his eyes a lot easier. Although his body still held that tired ache. It only took him a moment to focus his vision enough to look around the room. Even in the dark, he could tell the grey walls were supposed to be white. He was laying in a bed in a room that almost looked like a hospital. But why would he be in a hospital?

His head ached sharply, dragging a hand to it. What had happened?

The last thing he remembered was that they were at Hogwarts. A bunch of Death Eaters had invaded the school, and he was fighting them. Had he gotten hurt? He couldn't remember.

The more Fred tried to recall the events, the more his head ached. He curled onto his side, and tried to push himself up. He managed to sit up on the side of the bed, cradlling his head in his hands.

He was with Percy. They ran into Harry, and Hermoine, and Ron. Fred could nearly feel the smile on his face. Almost like he was reliving the event. Why was he smiling though? They were fighting Death Eaters. Did he find this fun?

No he was laughing at someone. He remembered… Percy said something. He must've been delirious for his brother to have made him laugh.

His thoughts were sharply cut off by a loud explosiong… a bright light flooded his eyes.

Then everything went dark.

Fred's breathing harshened, deepening the cut up feeling of his throat. A sweat ran down his brow. Head continued to spin.

What had happened?

His stomach started to churn. Both from nerves, and sheer dizzyness. Until finally, he hurled, collapsing back onto the bed.

"Fred? Fred!" The same voice from before called out to him, trying to coax him awake. "Fred, are you still with me? Answer me."

"Nya." Was all he was able to manage before he woke up again. His eyes focused in on the girl hovering over him. Her green eyes were wide with panic, long raven hair falling over her shoulders. She was pretty… and strangely familiar.

She sighed, when he looked up at her. "Thank God. I was afraid we lost you."

"W-we?" Fred could feel his eyes stinging with tears. He still felt weak, and tired, and was now starting to get scared. "Wh-where am I? What happened to me?"

The girl sat back on the bed, still watching him, looking as if she was saddened by his questions. "It's a bit hard to explain."

Fred could feel the tears free themsleves. He drew in a gasping breath. "Ju-Jurnacia." He sobbed, voice breaking into a quite wisper. "Am I dead?"

Her saddened eyes hinted at a smile. "Not anymore."

Fred's heart stopped at hearing this. Not anymore? "So I did die?"

Jurnacia sighed. "Yes… you did."

Fred felt sick again, the spinning in his head dulling to a throb. "But…. How?"

Jurnacia traced her fingers through his hair. "Maybe you should relax a bit before I explain the details. It's a bit much to take in." She reached for a cup again, and handed it to Fred this time. "Drink this. It'll help."

Fred glanced down at the radish colored liquid. "What is it?"

"It's a tonic. It helps your nerves, and makes the transition easier."

"Transition?"

She put her hand at the bottom of the cup, and tilted it up. "Just drink, and I'll explain."

"Ok,ok." Fred did as he was told, eyeing the girl sitting next to him. He finished it up, feeling slightly dizzy, but the throbbing had at least dulled. To bad the ache in his body wouldn't reside.

Jurnacia took the cup from him and put it back on the table. "I'm part of a small underground society in the wizarding world that helps witches and wizards restore their life."

Fred settled back in the pillow. "But I thought nothing could bring back the dead."

She held up a hand. "This society is not common knowledge. If it was, then there'd be an uproar. The only ones that know of it are those in the society and, of course, those who go through the process, and their families."

Fred's eyes widened. "So my family knows I'm here?"

Jurnacia shook her head. "Not yet."

"Why not?"

She sighed. "Because there's still not a certainty that you'll pull through. We don't want to get the family's hopes up until we're sure."

What little color Fred had drained from his face. "I'm still gonna die?"

"Not necessarily. It's just not certain. There are a lot of factors to consider. Age, the strength of your magic." She smiled at him. "And of course, sheer will-power."

Fred could feel his stomach churn again. "You still haven't explained how all of this works. It's not possible."

Jurnacia sighed, sitting up a bit straighter. "The group here is made up of witches and wizards adept in Divinations, alchemy, and those that have been through the process. Those that wished to stay."

"So, which are you?"

She shook her head. "While the Alchemist make preperations, the Divinators project their souls into the after-life to pick out those willing to come back."

"Willing?"

She nodded. "Yes. Only witches and wizards are able to return to life, because in order to restore ones life, something of equal, if not greater power must be given up."

Fred almost thought he knew the answer, but still had to ask. "What is that?"

"Your magic."

Fred's energy seemed to drain. "Thought so."

"Everything is explained to you, as a spirit. What must be sacrificed. Even the risks of returning. Once you're alive again, it's my job to keep you that way. Also to teach you how to live without magic."

Fred scoffed. "Come now… how hard could that be."

Jurnacia laughed slightly. "You'd be surprised. You feel like crap right now, don't you?"

Fred moaned in response.

"See? You've lived around magic your whole life. You're body's so used to it, that you don't realize how much you use your magic. Even in something as simple as walking. It's as natural as breathing."

"Which I can't do either."

She laughed again. "That's just because you stopped for a while. It'll get easier. Once your body's strong enough to function normally without magic, then you can go home, for your family to ween you back into the wizarding world."

Fred's eyes closed, starting to drift off again. "Sounds like fun. Can't wait."

Fred started to moan in his sleep, slowly wanting to wake up. He managed to wrench his eyes open, only to find the bright lights hurt them to do so. In fact, his whole body seemed to feel like one big bruise. His chest ached with each breath. His lungs felt dry, almost like he was inhaling dust. A lot of dust.

"Fred?" He heard a soft voice, soon joined by a cool hand on his forehead. He didn't realize how hot he felt, until the foreign cold skin made his body shiver. "Can you hear me Fred?"

"Whe-" Fred tried to ask where he was, but his voice didn't work. He felt a sharp cut in his throat at the slightest strain of speech.

"It's ok. I don't expect you to be able to speak yet." The hand left him, and soon he could see the lights dim past his eyelids. "You're fever spiked when you regained conciousness."

Fred managed to open his eyes more, ignoring the dry sting from doing so. Even with them open, nothing seemed to come into focus. The blurred surroundings caused his head to throb viciously. Fred moaned, closing his eyes again, and dropped a hand to his head. Just that small movemen felt tiring. What was wrong with him?

A weight settled down on the bed next to him. Her cold skin took his hand, and pulled it off his head. "You're still recovering, Fred. Don't strain yourself." Her voice sounded slightly paniced, though she hid it well.

Fred forced his eyes open to look at her. Unfortunately all he could make out was a dim outline, and that she maybe had dark hair. He took a slow deep breath and whimpered, "Who?"

He could almost hear her smile. "My name's Jurnacia Moon. I'm gonna look after you for a while." Her fingers traced through his hair. "Now, you should really get back to sleep. You have to regain your strength."

"bu-"

She shushed him. "Don't talk. I'll explain everything to you later." The blurr reached for something next to his head. "For now, take this." Fred felt what seemed like a cup pressed against his lips. Without really thinking, he drunk the warm potion inside. "It'll help you not feel so bad when you wake up again."

Almost immediately Fred fell back asleep, still pondering the possibilities of where he could be.

_AN: somehow this idea came to me in a dream. but in the dream i was bailing Lupin out of some airport jail, but Mocha had to come with me because someone had put a curse on me, so i couldn't talk... yea, i dunno. so, yea Jurnacia is kinda the character i'm putting in to be me, i guess, and my Mocha will most likely be in it. i just don't know if it'll actually be her character. not sure if she'd actually fit. course, i also promised her this story would be well rounded, but no... it's mostly gonna be Fred-centric_


	3. Chapter 2

It seemed like every time Fred drifted off, it took longer and longer for him to wake up. Maybe not, but he always felt more tired after doing so. Fred tried sitting up again, holding his breath until he could sit fully straight. He took a few deep breaths, eyes clenched to try and clear his head. The full details of what was happening still hadn't quite set in yet. As far as he knew… he died. Ok. Odd thought, but one he could live with

Figuratively speaking, if it wasn't true. There in-lies the weird part. He died, but is now alive. Alive because he agreed to sacrifice his magic for it.

"So, I'm a squib now?" Fred looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. They felt funny. Kinda numb, and rubbery. Was this another side-effect of him being dead? Or could it be his magic being gone?

None of this seemed real. Fred shook his head, which in hindsight wasn't a good idea. It just made him dizzy again. Instead, he resolved to cracking his neck, which diverted his attention around the room more. Something in the nearby bed caught his eye. There was someone laying in it. Someone he recognized.

Fred slowly slid out of the bed, his legs nearly turning to jelly when he did. He crept closer to see this sleeping person better. Yea, he knew him. They were in the same house at school. "Collin?" He fell into the chair next to the bed, rubbing his eyes. His head had started spinning again, and Fred felt like he was going to pass out. But what was Collin doing here? Had he died too?

No. That's rediculous. This kid was, what 15? He couldn't die.

Then again. Fred could feel his face heating up. He slumped in the chair, closing his eyes against the dizzying room. _"(I'm only 19.)"_ He thought. _"(A lot of people would probably say I'm too young to be dead too.)"_

"You shouldn't be out of bed, Fred." He opened his eyes to see Jurnacia walking towards him. She sat down on Collin's bed, slipping a hand against Fred's head. "Your fever still hasn't gone down yet, and your eyes are glazed over."

Fred just sighed, shaking her hand off. His gaze fell back down to Collin. "What happened to him?"

Jurnacia glanced down at the sleeping boy, his chest gently rising from his faint breaths. She shook her head. "I don't know. He hasn't woken up yet."

Fred looked at her again. She seemed pained by the thought. "Is that bad?"

"It's not typically a good sign." Jurnacia sighed, standing up. "Well, there's not much I can really do for him, until he does. As for you."

"I know, I know. Get back in bed."

She smiled, taking Fred's arm and helped him stand. "Good boy."

"Don't push it. You're as bad as my mum."

"Well, good."

Fred slumped into the bed, sighing deeply.

Jurnacia leaned closer. "Think you could eat something?"

Fred snorted a laugh, his eyes closed. "I could try. I'm starving."

Jurnacia smiled. "I'll see what I could do." She stood and started out the room.

xXx

"Hey, Jurnacia?" Fred called, when she'd returned with what looked like a bowl of soup.

"Huh?" She inquired, setting it down on the table next to him.

"Who are you?"

She quirked a brow at him. "What do you mean?"

"I feel like I know you from somewhere, but I can't remember where. It's drivin me mad."

Jurnacia just sighed. "We have met. Though it wasn't for too long." A small smile touched her lips. "I used to date your brother, Charlie."

Fred's gaze snapped to her. Charlie had a couple of girls in his life, but not too many. However, there was only one that he ever seemed serious about. She worked on the dragon reserve with him. The family had only met her once, when they went to see him.

She had her hair pulled back the whole time, but now that he actually got a good look at her, there was no mistaking it. "You're Jurni?"

She smiled and nodded. "So, you do remember me?"

"Yea, of course. Were you trying to hide on purpose?"

"No."

"Then why give me a fake name?"

"It's not a fake name. It's my real name. Charlie's the one that started Jurni."

"What about the long sleeves?"

"Oh please, Fred."

"Just show me your arm."

Jurni sighed, and rolled up the sleeve on her right arm. There were burn scars trailing all the way from her forearm, to her shoulder, complete with a claw mark in the crook of her elbow.

Fred just stared, dumbfounded. "Wow. It really is you."

Jurni rolled her sleeve down. "Did you think I was lying?"

"Well." Fred stared down at his hands on the bed. "No, but… I guess I just wasn't expecting to see you again. Charlie said you were dead."

"So were you." She finished up the soup and handed the bowl to Fred. "Here. Eat."

Fred just stared into the contents of the bowl, while Jurni rounded the bed to check on Collin.

"Why didn't you come back?"

Jurni stopped what she was doing, but didn't look back at him.

"If you were alive… why didn't you come back? Charlie was devistated. He told Bill he was gonna ask you to marry him."

Jurni breathed in deep, setting down in the chair. She looked back at Fred, pursing her lips. "You really wanna know?"

"Yea."

"It's because I took too long."

"Too long? For what?"

"To recover. I went through exactly what your going through now. It took me nearly a year until I was able to function fully. Even then, they still didn't think it was a good idea to put me back into the wizarding world yet. By the time I was able to." She diverted her gaze, forcing back the tears threatening her eyes. "I just figured Charlie would've coped with my death by then. I didn't want to just pop back into his life again."

"But-"

"Besides. I couldn't go back to my old job, now. And they needed more help here." She shrugged. "So, I stayed. That's why I took you on. I couldn't go back to him, but at least I could return you to your family."

They both stayed quite for a short while. "Charlie still misses you. He doesn't say it, but I could tell. Just by some of the things he said to me, when I started dating Angelina." Fred just watched her trying to avoid his gaze. "Don't you miss him?"

Jurni sighed. "Of course I do."

"Then go back to him."

"What?"

Fred couldn't help but grin, because she was looking at him again. "You gotta take me back to my family sooner or later anyway. When you do, we'll just make sure he's there too. Shouldn't be too hard."

Jurni just stared at him for a while, then stood sharply. She proceeded to stare, almost as if he had said something offensive. Course she disproved that when she started laughing. "Eat your soup, Fred."

--

_AN: maybe one day, i'll end up writing where they actually met her_


	4. Chapter 3

"Jurni! Look out!" A familiar voice cried out to her, moments before the large claw of a dragon landed right on top of her. Pinning her under it, two sharp talons dug into the ground on either side of her head. Everything around them was pitch black, except for the small lights emitting from their co-worker's wands. Jurni couldn't even pin-point what kind of dragon had her pinned down, and was amazed Charlie could even see it coming. She tried to fire off a stunning spell into it's eye to get the dangerous foot off her, only to realize the wand had been knocked from her hand.

A long snout, with large nostrils, came down to smell her, pushing her down further into the soft mudded ground. She had to draw in a breathe when her face fell under the wet ground.

She heard muffled screams through her obstructed ears, soon feeling the foot jolt. The dragon's roar came in clearer than the voices at whatever they had tried to do to it. Jurni's body shifted as the long talons closed around her, and before she knew it, the dragon had taken to the sky.

Green eyes stared down at the fading ground in horror. Her voice failed her, or else she might have screamed. For the first time since she was a child, she was truly terrified of these creatures she had dedicated her life to.

Jurni pulled futiley at the claws. Seemingly in response to her struggle, the talons closed further, the tip of one digging into her side.

A whole mob of figures took to the sky after them. The first of which to come fully in view was Charlie, who flew right for her, on his Nimbus. "Jurni, hold on." He got as close as he could, drawing his wand, and shooting red sparks at the ankle of the claw holding her.

The dragon hissed again, dropping her. However, her body seemed to roll over the talon that had embedded itself in her side, cutting deeply into her skin.

Jurni screamed, feeling herself tumble over then hit something. Surely Charlie had caught her. After all, he was an amazing seeker, but the arms that held her didn't seem to feel like his.

"Jurni, stay with me."

"-cia."

"-n't die… yo-he- me… -ave to stay -ith me."

"-kup-nacia."

"-ook at me. ca-t-eave me. –now why?"

"Jurnacia."

"You know why? Cause I need you to-"

"Jurnacia."

A final jolt and Jurni's eyes snapped open, staring intently at the tiled floor. Tears streaked from her eyes, her skin feeling cold. Stomach nauseates. There was a sharp pain in her left side, and she soon came to realize that the arms holding her were her own. Her knees ached from where they had collided sharply against the floor. During her fits, she had thrown herself out of her bed.

Jurni tried to steady her breathing, holding a hand over her mouth to keep from throwing up.

"Was it the dream again?"

She swallowed, nodding slowly. Her hand came down to rest against the sharp pain in her side. She looked up at who woke her up. A girl, about five to six years younger than she was. Her long black curly hair fell halfway down her back, and those pale blue eyes shone with weariness far beyond someone her age should hold. Her name was Adenydd Manwyn, and was probably one of the more adept members of the group. She had a very heightened sense of the after-life, and was one of the only witches to ever be both an adviser to the ones returning, and also was able to cross over to the other world for possible candidates.

"If you're dreaming of your death."

Their eyes met in a dawning understanding. They both knew what it meant. Still a bit shaken, Jurni got to her feet, and sprinted down the hall. It typically depended on the state of your death how intense the dreams could be, and it always took Jurni a moment to calm down enough to remember the meaning.

When you take on a new life to guide back into this world, there is a small part of yourself that goes into each of them. Mainly to help with the transfer, and also to create a connection with your charges. To know when they need you. (If the advisor hadn't died, they'd see their patients death, or other traumatic events.) If she was dreaming of her death it could only mean one thing. One of her boys was dying.

She was panting, both from nerves of thinking that one of them was slipping away, but her anxiety was still pumping from the dream. The actual death wasn't as traumatic as the events leading up to it, (she had merely bled out from the wound in her side) but even that was enough to cause her this kind of duress. It was also one of the reasons her superior worried for her mental state with always taking on the more fragile cases.

It was times like this that she really wished she still had her magic. For one thing, being able to run faster, but there was a certain amount of magic necessary for assisting her charges during this state. On the plus side there were ways available, in the organization, for her to be able to harness enough magic to use it. Added with the fact that she had become accustomed to using it, she was particularly quick with it.

Jurni took a small detour into one of the storage bins, and pulled a red package from the shelves, and ran out to get to the room. The patient's rooms were positioned along the hall just outside of the storage cupboard, ranging in cases of priority. Fred and Collin's room was located just at the entrance of the hall.

Jurni tore the red package open as she rushed into the room, and slid the enclosed gloves over her hands. Her eyes snapped right to the closer bed. Collin's body was thrown into fits. Thrashing wildly, and threatening to throw the small form off the bed. His skin pale and grainy. Her hands glowing with a soft white light, Jurni turned Collin onto his side, pulling up his shirt, and placed one hand at the base of his spine, the other on his stomach, over the lower ribs. The white glow around one hand began to shift to a more yellowish hue, the other turning red. She tried to keep her breathing steady as she worked. Any small bit of hesitation or doubt and the process could backfire.

Collin's body slowly started to settle down, though his eyes were still glazed over, foam forming in the corner of his mouth. She applied more pressure to the base of his spine. Her right hand moved up to the crown of his head. The yellow glow swirled into a more violet color.

Soon Collin's body fell limp against the bed. Jurni rolled him onto his stomach, continuing to massage a spot over his lower back, the fading glow over both hands now the same shade of red. A short time later, the glow faded completely, and Jurni finally breathed again, wiping the sweat from her brow. She rolled Collin onto his back. His breathing was a bit weak, but at least it was constant. Jurni wiped the saliva from his lips, and slumped back into the chair, pulling the gloves from her hands. Her head fell back with a deep sigh, eyes closing.

"Is he ok?"

Jurni's glanced over to Fred. He looked pale, a red ring under his eyes. Jurni forced a weak smile. "For now."

She slumped forward, rubbing her head as the tension in her shoulders started to relax. A red glint caught her eye on her left hand. Her gaze drew to the small crystallized dragon blood embedded in a pearl white band. She could still feel the energy radiating from the band. It had been made of the egg horn from a Chinese Fireball she and Charlie had hatched together. The mother was going to eat the egg, because it didn't hatch with the others. It was the closest they had come to having their own child.

_"You can't leave me. Do you know why?" _

"Are you ok?"

_ "It's because I need you to marry me. You can't die before you do."_

"Jurni?"

A hand fell on her shoulder, snapping her out of her stupor. "You alright?" She glanced up at Fred, finally realizing that she was crying, and wiped her face. More to distract herself than anything else, Jurni turned back to Collin checking his vitals. "It's hard sometimes, but it's just part of the job."

"Heh. If you ask me." Fred settled down on the bed, looking at the sleeping child. "This job sucks. I'd quit, if I were you."

"Well, you're not me. Besides, it's worth it if I can reunite at least one family with their loved ones."

"Really now. So," Fred's eyes shifted up to her. "How many have you saved?"

A soft pink hue heated her cheeks. "I don't necessarily keep counts of these things."

"Not many, huh."

The red in her face turned from embarrassment to irritation as she turned to him. "What are you doing out of bed?"

He grinned back at her. "Came to check on ya. Is that so wrong?"

No matter how much she wanted to, it was difficult to stay angry at that grin. Her lips pursed to keep from smiling back at him. "Get your butt back in bed. One wrong move, and you could be in his position." She motioned openly to Collin.

The grin slid from his face as if someone had literally wiped it off. Eyes shooting to Collin. "But I feel fine. I can't possibly revert to his stage." He looked back to Jurni. "Can I?"

Jurni shook her head. "You may be doing better than Collin right now, but you're still unstable. If you're not careful, and don't listen to me, then you could easily slide backwards."

He gave a lingering glance to Collin, before standing again, and made his way back over to his bed. Fred settled into the bed, slipping under the covers. "But I don't like just sitting around and doing nothing. It's not in my nature."

"Obviously." Jurni gave Collin one more once over, pulling the sheet back up to his shoulders. She then stood, making her way over to Fred. "However, this isn't like a normal illness. It could still fluctuate rapidly, without warning." She pushed him to lay down, pulling the blankets over him like a mother tucking in her child. "Just think of how happy your family will be to see you again. And use that as motivation to stay put." She resisted the urge to follow the motherly illusion and kiss him on the forehead, heading off towards the door.

"Jurni."

She turned back, from where she stood in the door frame.

"I'm serious about what I said. It doesn't seem like a good idea for you to continue working here. There are plenty of jobs you can still have without your magic. Why not take on one of them?"

Jurni stared at him for a short while, mulling over the thought in her mind. She sighed, continuing out the door. "Good night, Fred."

It wasn't the first time someone had suggested she quit, and it's not like she hadn't thought about it before. But what else could she do? She had nowhere to go. And this job didn't really pay anything for her to afford one. Her parents had died a long time ago, so there was no way to go back to them. The only home she ever had…

"He's right y'know."

Jurni jumped. So deep in her own mind that she didn't see Adenydd leaning against the wall outside the door.

"You're not fit for this job. You care way too much about your charges. Which isn't necessarily what they need." Despite the seemingly kind gesture, her words felt like daggers. Those hollow eyes burrowing into her. "Since you already started, I suggest you finish with your current mission. But after-wards, whatever happens to those two, you should quit." Adenydd pushed off from the wall, heading back to her designated room. "If you continue on for much longer, you're mind may shatter from the strain. And trust me, you don't want that."

_AN: FINALLY i'm able to get back to writing this, but yay. kinda short, but at least people know i'm not scraping it. also, Addenydd is one of my friends OCs. she actually has a highly complex back story which i'm not going to go into (if i do, not fully) but she was actually perfect to squeeze into this society, so i shoved her in._


	5. Chapter 4

The next couple of weeks passed with little if no incident Collin still hadn't woken up, but there were no further scares of his passing. Thoroughly bored out of his skull, Fred decided to occupy most of his time thinking about what his life would be like without his magic to aid him. That mind set soon gave birth to another train of thought.

"Hey, Jurni." He called suddenly, his eyes still fixed on the tiled ceiling.

"Yea." Jurni responded from where she was feeding Colin. Holding what looked like a small turkey baster to his lips.

"What were those things you had on your hands the other day?"

"What?" She looked up from where she was only half listening.

Fred rubbed his fingers along his palms. "Those glowing things you had, when you came in here, where Colin was having fits that one time."

"Oh, those." Jurni turned back to what she was doing. "They're called Revivesco gloves. They let me latch onto small traces of magic and use it for a small period of time. I can only use them because I used to be a witch."

"Can you use it for anything or just for whatever you did for Colin?"

Jurni shrugged. "I suppose I could. I never tried it for anything else, but I've heard rumors about others who had."

Fred's fingers came to rest thoughtfully on his lips. "How long does it last?"

"Depends on how powerful the spell is." Jurni stopped what she was doing, staring off in a puzzle. She had just been answering his questions off-handed, not even thinking about what she was saying. She then turned to look back at Fred. "Why do you want to know?"

Fred shrugged, trying to hide that familiar smile he always got when an idea was sparking in his head. However, she wouldn't recognize it for what it was. "Just curious."

Jurni's eyes narrowed on him a bit. "Don't try acting innocent. I've heard some of the things your curiosity can get you into."

Fred laughed. "No really. I'm just… thinking." His expression fell slightly, though his eyes never left their spot on the ceiling.

Jurni just stared at him for a short while. The idea of what could be going through that mischievous head of his slowly starting to dawn on her, but she wasn't sure if she was right. Either way, it didn't matter right now. Jurni turned back to Colin.

Jurni had just finished up feeding Colin, and returned with Fred's lunch when she heard Adenydd's voice from outside cry, "Just get her out of there."

Both heads turned towards the door. They saw Adenydd pass by the open door, accompanied by a much older man. He was probably in his mid to late forties, the last traces of brown in his hair making it seem like it was tinged with mud. A thick bristly mustache settled under his nose. He had a stern face, but was smiling warmly at Adenydd, as she ranted, holding a steaming goblet in his hands.

"She's already recovered fine. Why does she have to stay here and bother me?"

"The girl just doesn't wish to leave her husband. Especially not now. Surely you can understand that."

"But she's driving me mad." They heard Adenydd growl. "She's an insufferable cluts, and is doing nothing but hindering Remus' recovery."

Jurni couldn't help but laugh. Adenydd typically tried to talk sweetly to people, even if she didn't particularly like them. So it was strange to hear her blatantly complaining about one of her charges.

"Did she just say Remus?"

Jurni glanced back at Fred who was staring wide eyed at the door. "As in, Remus Lupin?"

Jurni's eyes turned a tad more confused. "That's his name, yes? You know him?"

Fred looked to her. "Yea, I do. He's a friend. So, that cluts she's talking about is Tonks?"

She hesitated slightly. "Yes… it is. I didn't realize you knew them."

"I didn't realize there was anyone else here."

"Oh yes. Just five others."

"Like who?"

"Well, besides the counselors, let's see." Jurni thought for a bit, then started ticking the names off on her fingers. "There's Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, Maya Reynolds, Sirius Black, and Michael Evans." She looked back to Fred and her face fell from the expression on his. "Don't tell me you know them."

"Just three."

"Three?"

"Yea. Remus, Tonks, and Sirius. But Sirius' been dead for a few years now."

Jurni nodded. "Well, yes. This is true. Which is why he's a priority case. A lot like you and Colin, but he's under Wilhelm's care." She motioned towards the door. "The man we just saw walk by."

"Huh?" Fred's shock settled down a bit into thought. "Wow. So, how are they doing?"

Her expression seemed a bit unsure. "Well, Sirius is having problems. He's been here for a good while now, but hasn't yet woken up. Frankly, I'm not sure is he's even going to make it."

"When you say, 'good while' how long are we talkin?"

"Yee, uh, a few years, now."

Fred's face nearly melted, with hearing this. "Yikes. Why is he having such a hard time?"

Jurni shrugged. "I'm guessing it's because his soul's still weak. All those years in Azkaban really did a number on him. Honestly the only reason I think he's still holding on for so long is because he seemed so determined to be with his Godson again."

Fred smiled. "Yea, I can see that." He forced himself to perk up. "What about the others?"

"Remus is having more problems. Mainly because of his illness. Although, sometimes going through this process, of coming back to life, has been known to cure the affliction. Which is why the next few days are so crucial. The full moon is in three days."

"Wow. That'd be good if it could. So, what about Tonks? Is she really recovered?"

"Oh yea. She was the first to wake up, and has made a full recovery. She's a very versatile being."

Fred nodded, glancing back towards the door. "Nice."

Both of them jumped. Which was odd considering the sound that startled them was nothing more than a soft sigh. They looked over towards the other bed to see Colin was stirring, moaning softly.

Jurni jumped up from where she was sitting on Fred's bed and ran over. She settled next to Colin, running her hands through his hair. "Colin?" She spoke softly, trying to coax him awake. "Colin, sweety? Can you hear me?"

"Nya?" Colin breathed in deep, head rolling to the side. His eyes clenched tighter, trying to open. A small sliver of white appeared under his lids, as they gently started to open.

Jurni smiled broadly at him. "Hi there. Colin, can you hear me?"

"Mm." He moaned softly, looking as if he tried to nod.

Jurni traced a hand through his hair again. "It's ok, honey. Don't strain yourself. Fred, could you come over here?"

"Uh, sure." Fred slid out of the bed and made his way over. "What is it?"

Jurni looked up at him, an excited gleam in her eye. "Just sit here and talk to him for me. Try to keep him awake. I have to go get something."

"Oh, ok." Fred took Jurni's seat after she'd got up and darted towards the door. He patted him softly on the face. "Hey, Kiddo. Do you remember me?"

Colin smiled. "Nn yeah." Fred was happy to see Colin was finally waking up, but it was a little creepy. He was staring up at him, but his eyes were a glassy pale blue that couldn't seem to focus on him. He had an odd look about him that made it look as if he'd break at the wrong movement. Fred remembered how he felt when he first woke up and wondered if this was what he looked like.

Colin's eyes fell towards the door. "Bu who's sh-she?"

Fred followed his gaze and smiled. "Oh, that's Jurni." He traced a hand through his hair. "She's been taking care of us, for a while."

"Taking care?" His voice sounded weak and horse. Colin tried to clear his throat, but it didn't seem to do any good. "Why's she have to?"

"We'll explain a little later. You just relax for now."

Footsteps alerted Fred to Jurni's return. "Here, hold this." She handed Fred a cup, sitting down next to Colin's head. "Hey, Colin." She pulled him into a sitting position, holding tightly onto him. "I need you to do something." She took the cup back from Fred, holding it up to Colin's lips. "Do you think you can drink this for me?"

Colin's face bobbed down towards the cup, his mouth opening slightly. Jurni tilted his head, and the cup, holding his neck steady so he could drink it. "There you go."

"Good." Jurni placed the cup on the bedside table, after Colin had finished. He coughed, his head falling sideways onto her shoulder. Jurni held onto him as if he was her baby brother, smiling down at him. "If you're still tired, you can go back to sleep."

Colin moaned softly, a small smile teasing his lips. "Ka-ay." It didn't take too long for his eyes to close again, head lolling on his shoulders. Jurni shifted to lay him down and pulled the sheets back up around him.

"So, he's gonna be ok?"

Jurni brushed Colin's bangs. "It's a start, but he's got a long way to go. As you might remember." She smirked up at Fred. "Speaking of which."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Yea yea, I know. Back in bed." He made his way back over to his own bed. "You're the one that called me out, y'know."

"Yea, I know. It was a test, and you failed."

Fred laughed. "You're so full of crap."

xXx

Colin didn't wake up again until the next afternoon. He rolled onto his side, curling up into a ball. Fred was staring intently up at the ceiling again, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. Colin stared at him for a while barely aware he was even awake. "What're you doing?"

It took Fred a moment to realize he'd been addressed, and turned his head towards Colin. "Huh? Oh hey, welcome back. How're you feeling?"

Colin hummed softly. "I'm ok." He tried to sit up. He almost had his arms fully straight when he collapsed back onto the bed with a broad grin. "Maybe a little tired."

Fred chuckled at him. Even after death this kid didn't seem to change. Something behind Colin caught his eye. "He's awake again."

"Oh, good." Jurni practically skipped over to sit next to Colin. She tilted her head over to look him in the face. "Glad to see you're finally awake, Sweetness. You feeling alright?"

"Mmhmm." Colin nodded, still harboring his broad smile. Shortly after, he moaned, burying his face in the pillow.

Jurni laughed softly, stroking his hair. "It's ok. It'll pass."

Just then, the door opened, and who else but, Tonks poked her head in. It took Fred a moment to recognize her. Her hair had now fallen to an unnatural dark brown, the tips of which still tinged with a pale pink. "Hello?" Her face lit up. "Hi, Jurni."

"What're you doing here?"

Tonks shrugged. "Adenydd kicked me out, so I figured I'd look around a bit." She gasped, her smile fading as she came fully into the room. "Fred? What are you doing here?"

Fred laughed, shrugging. "I guess I died. How else?"

"Well, that sucks." She sat down on the end of his bed. "You're feeling better, I trust?"

"I think so, but she won't let me up." He jammed his thumb towards Jurni.

"I'll let you up when you're not going to die."

"Nag, nag, nag."

"Hi, I'm Colin." An arm rose weakly from Colin's bed and fell. The three of them laughed. Tonks leaned over to look around Jurni and waved. "Hi, Colin. I'm Tonks."

"So, does someone want to explain what's going on?" Colin asked in a dull muffle.

"Oh yea." Jurni started to try and explain the situation to Colin, but he fell back to sleep mid-way through. She smiled, stroking his head again. "Poor thing."

_AN: I suddenly got back into the re-Fredding mindset, and decided i should work on this... then i noticed i already had another chapter written, and it took me a bit to figure out why... i blame Sirius. either way, here ya go XD_


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